Washing machine with a tub flange

ABSTRACT

A washing machine and a method of manufacturing the washing machine. The washing machine includes a tub flange coupled to the bottom of the inner tub and the pulsator. The tub flange provides coupling between the rotation drive unit and the inner tub. The tub flange includes multiple radially extended portions or members and optionally a bent end in each portion. The bent ends of the radially extended portions may be coupled to the inner circumferential of the inner tub or to the outer circumferential of the inner tub.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit and priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0130726, filed on Sep. 30, 2014, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a washing machine, and more particularly, to a washing machine, and a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND

In general, a washing machine is an apparatus used for washing and cleaning laundry by friction between laundry and washing water. Friction is generated by a pulsator or agitator that is disposed inside the inner tub of the washing machine and rotates to agitate the washing water. The inner tub is open at the top and used to accommodate laundry. A tub-u is installed at the lower portion of the inner tub. Typically, the tub-u becomes narrower toward a lower side of the inner tub.

However, the use of a tub-u imposes restrictions on the design and configuration of the associated pulsator, e.g., the diameter of the pulsator. Moreover, because the tub-u has to be smaller than the inner tub, the available space for installing the pulsator inside the inner tub is unfortunately limited.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed toward providing a washing machine and a method of manufacturing the same that offers improved flexibility in pulsator configurations and additional installation space available for assembling a pulsator inside the inner tub.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a washing machine including: a cylindrical inner tub having both the upper side and the lower side open; an outer tub in which the inner tub is installed; a drive unit which is installed outside the outer tub, and rotates the inner tub; and a tub flange which supports an open side of the inner tub, and serves as a connection between the drive unit and the inner tub.

The tub flange may include radially extended portions or members extending radially towards a circumference of the inner tub. The tub flange serves to couple the drive unit and the inner tub together.

The ends of the radially extended portions may be bent and are coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the inner tub. In this fashion, the radially extended portions are inserted into the inner tub. Alternatively, the bent ends may be coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the inner tub.

The radially extended portions may extend up to the outer circumferential surface of the inner tub and couple thereto.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a washing machine, the method including: an inner tub forming step of forming a cylindrical inner tub having open upper and lower sides; a tub flange forming step of forming a tub flange including radially extended portions having a plurality of radial projections; and a fastening step of fastening and coupling one open side of the inner tub and a radial supporting portion of the tub flange.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the washing machine and the method of manufacturing the same may provide enhanced flexibility in pulsator configurations and provide additional installation space which is available for assembling a pulsator inside an inner tub.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom perspective view of an exemplary configuration in which an inner tub and a tub flange of FIG. 1 are coupled to each other.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the exemplary tub flange of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of an exemplary tub flange coupled to an inner tub according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary tub flange coupled to an inner tub according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary tub flange coupled to an inner tub according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains may easily carry out the exemplary embodiments. The present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms, and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

In several exemplary embodiments, constituent elements having the same configuration will be representatively described using the same reference numerals in a first exemplary embodiment, and in a second exemplary embodiment, only configurations, which are different from those described in the first exemplary embodiment, will be described.

It should be noted that the drawings are schematically illustrated, and the scales of the drawings may be different from the actual scales. Relative dimensions and ratios of the parts illustrated in the drawings are exaggerated or reduced in terms of sizes thereof for clarification of the drawings and convenience, and any dimension is only illustrative, and is not limited thereto. The same structures, elements, or components illustrated in two or more drawings are designated by the same reference numerals so as to illustrate similar features.

The exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is specifically presented as an ideal exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As a result, various modifications of the drawings are expected. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment is not limited to specific forms in regions illustrated in the drawings, and for example, further includes modified forms by the manufacture.

Hereinafter, an exemplary washing machine according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the washing machine 101 includes an inner tub 310, an outer tub 100, a drive unit 400, and a tub flange 320.

The inner tub 310 may be in a cylindrical shape having both the upper and the lower sides open. A pulsator 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 is installed inside the inner tub 310. The pulsator 200 can produce water flow by agitating washing water inside the inner tub 310.

The outer tub 100 is installed outside the inner tub 310. The outer tub 100 is used to contain washing water. Specifically, the outer tub 100 may have a cylindrical shape with one side open.

The drive unit 400 is installed outside the outer tub 100, and can rotate the inner tub 310 and/or the pulsator 200.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the washing machine 101 further includes an exterior housing 10 that contains the tub 100, the inner tub 310, the tub flange 320, and the drive unit 400.

The drive unit 400 is installed between the bottom of the outer tub 100 and the bottom of the housing 10.

The tub flange 320 is coupled to one of the open sides of the inner tub 310 and the drive unit 400. More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the tub flange 320 supports the lower open side of the inner tub 310.

The pulsator 200 is installed on the top of tub flange 320. A rotation shaft of the drive unit 400 and a rotation shaft of the pulsator 200 may be coupled to each other.

Therefore, the tub flange 320 couples the drive unit 400 and the inner tub 310 together. The tub flange 320 also supports and thereby reinforces the strength of one of the open sides of the inner tub 310.

In a washing machine according to the conventional art, a tub-u is coupled to a lower surface of the inner tub. The configuration and installation of the pulsator is undesirably limited because the cross section of the tub-u becomes narrower toward the lower side of the inner tub. In contrast, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a tub-u is not needed because the tub flange 320 can effectively and advantageously support the inner tub 310 and serves to couple the drive unit 400 and the inner tub 310 together. The pulsator 200 can be installed on the tub flange 320, which advantageously offers more flexibility in designing and installing the pulsator 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the tub flange 320 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include radially extended portions or members 321 which can enhance the coupling between the drive unit 400 and the inner tub 310. The radially extended portions 321 include multiple radial projections extending radially from the center of the tub flange 320 up to the peripheral of the inner tub 310, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The radially extended portions or members 321 of the tub flange 320 may advantageously and effectively support the inner tub 310 and aid against vibration of the pulsator 200 when the pulsator 200 is rotated. More specifically, the central portion of the tub flange 320 provides support for the drive unit 400, while the radially extended portions 321 provide support for the open side of the inner tub 310.

Hereinafter, an exemplary tub flange 320 of an exemplary washing machine 102 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and the aforementioned FIG. 3. The washing machine 102 in FIG. 5 has a similar configuration with the washing machine 101 in FIG. 1 and therefore a detailed description is omitted for clarity.

In FIG. 5, the ends of the radially extended portions 321 of the tub flange 320 are bent upwards and are coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the inner tub 310.

Owing to this configuration, the hollow inner circumferential portion of the inner tub 310 where the pulsator 200 is installed may be advantageously and effectively utilized. That is, because the radially extended portions 321 are coupled to the outer surface of the inner tub 310, there is more space available for the pulsator 200 installation than the configuration where the radially extended portions 321 are coupled to an inner surface of the inner tub 310.

Hereinafter, an exemplary tub flange 320 of an exemplary washing machine 103 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and the aforementioned FIG. 3. The washing machine 103 in FIG. 6 has a similar configuration with the washing machine 101 in FIG. 1 and therefore a detailed description is omitted for clarity.

According to the third embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the radially extended portions 321 also has one end bent upward. Different from the second embodiment as described with reference to FIG. 5, the radially extended portions 321 are disposed inside the inner tub 310 with their end sections coupled to the inner circumferential surface of the inner tube 310. In this configuration, the contacts between the inner tub 310 and the radially extended portions 321 are increased, thereby advantageously increasing the coupling between the inner tub 310 and the radially extended portions 321.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a tub flange is used to couple the drive unit and the inner tub together, which advantageously provides additional available space and enhances flexibility for the installation of the pulsator.

More specifically, the tub flange 320 may support an open side of the inner tub 310, which provides flexibility in selecting the diameter of the pulsator 200 to be installed in the inner tub 310.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the embodiments of the washing machines 101, 102, or 103 will be described.

The method of manufacturing the washing machines 101, 102, and 103 includes a tub forming process, a tub flange forming process, and a fastening process.

More specifically, in the tub forming process, a cylindrical inner tub having an open upper side and an open lower side is formed. For instance, the inner tub is primarily made of a metallic material. The inner tub may be formed into a cylindrical shape by joining both ends of a plate-shaped material together, or may be manufactured using a tubular unit.

The tub flange may include multiple radially extended portions extending radially from the center.

Then, in the fastening process, the inner tub and the tub flange are fastened together. In one embodiment, the radially extended portions formed on the tub flange may be coupled to the inner tub.

The tub flange and the inner tub may be coupled together using any suitable technique that is well known in the art, such as by adhesion or welding, or using screws, etc.

In some embodiments, the method may further include the steps of bending the radially extended portions of the tub flange. The bending process may be performed before the fastening process.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, since a tub-u (as used in the prior art) is not needed, the washing machine manufacturing processes are advantageously simplified and the manufacturing cost is advantageously reduced.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A washing machine comprising: an inner tub comprising an open top side and an open bottom side; an outer tub coupled to the inner tub and disposed outside the inner tub; a rotation drive unit disposed outside the outer tub, and configured to rotate the inner tub relative to the outer tub; and a tub flange coupled to the open bottom side of the inner tub, and configured to couple the drive unit and the inner tub together.
 2. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the tub flange comprises radially extended members each extending radially towards a periphery of the inner tub, wherein the radially extended members are configured to provide coupling between the rotation drive unit and the inner tub.
 3. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein each of the radially extended members comprises an end section bent upwards, wherein each end section is coupled to an inner side wall of the inner tub, and wherein further the radially extended members are disposed inside the inner tub.
 4. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein each of the radially extended members comprises an end section bent upwards, wherein each end section is coupled to an outside side wall of the inner tub, and wherein further the radially extended members are disposed outside the inner tub.
 5. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein the radially extended members extend up to the periphery of the inner tub, and wherein further the radially extended members are coupled to the inner tub.
 6. The washing machine of claim 1 further comprising a rotatable pulsator disposed inside the inner tub and coupled to the tub flange and the rotation driving unit.
 7. The washing machine of claim 6, wherein the tub flange is configured to support the inner tub against vibration of the pulsator when the pulsator rotates.
 8. The washing machine of claim 2, wherein a center of the tub flange is coupled to the rotation driving unit, and wherein further the radially extended members are coupled to the inner tub.
 9. A method of manufacturing a washing machine, the method comprising: forming a cylindrical inner tub having an open upper side and an open lower side; forming a tub flange comprising a center portion and radially extended members extending from the center portion to a periphery of the tub flange in radial directions; and coupling an open side of the inner tub with the radial supporting portions of the tub flange.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising installing a pulsator on the tub flange.
 11. The method of claim 9 further comprising bending an end of a radially extended portion to form an angle between the end with a remaining portion of the radially extended portion.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupling comprises coupling the end of the radially extended portion to an inner circumferential surface of the inner tub.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupling comprises coupling the end of the radially extended portion to an outer circumferential surface of the inner tub. 